Hyderabad, December 25: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) lawmaker Asaduddin Owaisi accused Union Home Minister Amit Shah of misleading the country on National Population Register (NPR) and National Register of Citizens(NRC). "There is no difference between NPR and NRC. The Union Home Minister is misleading the country. All political parties will be together in protesting against this," Asaduddin Owaisi told news agency ANI. Why Citizenship Amendment Act+NRC Raise Fear And Concerns: A Multi-Dimensional Take.

"They are preparing NPR as per the Citizenship Act, 1955. Then, isn’t it connected to the NRC?" Owaisi further asked. Earlier today, a delegation led by Owaisi also met Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and discussed the issues pertaining to NPR, NRC and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Rao's Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) opposed the Citizenship Amendment Bill in the Parliament. NRC Row: No Proposal For Nationwide National Register of Citizen Based on NPR Data, Says Government.

On Tuesday, during a protest against the CAA and NRC, Owaisi appealed to KCR to stay work on NPR. "With folded hands, I am appealing to the Chief Minister to stop NPR which is not good for the country," he said, hours after the Union Cabinet gave its approval for NPR. "Then Minister of State for Home Kiren Rejiju had also told Parliament on November 26, 2014, that NPR is the first step towards NRC," he added.

Following the Cabinet's approval to NPR updation, Amit Shah asserted that there was no link between the NPR and NRC. "There is no link between National Register of Citizens and National Population Register, I am clearly stating this today," Shah said in an interview.

Shah also said that NRC was not discussed as told by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "There is no need to debate this (pan-India NRC) as there is no discussion on it right now. PM Modi was right, there is no discussion on it yet either in the Cabinet or Parliament," the Union Minister said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 25, 2019 05:30 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).